Monday, July 18, 2011

Sharka-TEE-na

THE SHARK NICKNAME GROWS

Tyler and I were discussing recently how the Shark nickname has spread completely out of our control. (Is that the definition of viral?) You know what, that's okay. Anyone who has found us in some way (through Facebook, Twitter, or accidentally stumbling on this blog, or through Roger Bernadina himself), know that we began the nickname and nothing brings more joy to my heart than a bowl full of candy in a doctor's office waiting area. That, and following the snowballing effects of Roger Bernadina's nickname. Years down the road, when the Shark has 10 Gold Gloves, 3 MVP (Most Valuable Player) awards, 15 MVP (Most Vicious Predator) awards, we'll look back and say, "we were there when..."

But that is years away!

In the meantime, it is fun to look at all the Roger "The Shark" Bernadina t-shirts on the market these days. Without further ado, here is your Sharkadina T-Shirt Buying Guide, with every shark shirt we can find online and our unbiased opinions of them all.

Tyler and I like this one a lot. For one, it is a cool, fun graphic. Also, we like Gavin a lot, because he was an early adopter of the Shark nickname. He hopped on board the Shark Express and hasn't looked back. Also, this shirt has been featured on MASN and I have personally seen several of them around the stadium. Also, the shirt is only $14.40 which is a great bargain in this day and age.

Welcome to our shop. Following the Washington Postarticle, in which Dan Steinberg called us out on not merchandising, we opened up a Spreadshirt shop to make some Sharkadinagear. This is our newest design and I think one of our best. While other places offer great Shark-themed apparel, this is the only place to get Sharkadina apparel (it is a subtle difference). Tell everyone you are a fan of this blog and help support us so we can buy materials to make more Shark hoods! Our tees start at $20 and any profit we make will go towards spreading the Shark nickname!

Third, 22 Fresh's "Shark Mode"
Today was an exciting day, as a brand new shirt debuted. If you haven't heard the phrase "Beast Mode" yet, you obviously haven't been on Twitter when Michael Morse is up to bat. For the whole story, read our good friend Dan Steinberg's article. Basically, Morse wore a "Beast Mode" shirt from hip designer 22Fresh at a press conference during the height of his crazy power hitting streak earlier this summer and it has become a sort of catch phrase for him. Once we at Sharkadina saw that, we thought, "Beast Mode is good...but Shark Mode is better." We pestered contacted 22Fresh via Twitter asking him to make a Shark Mode shirt, and today it finally debuted:

This shirt is $35 and also features Bernadina's number 2 on the back. It is being advertised as "The Official Tee Shirt of the Nats Roger Bernadina," and is already getting some great press on Twitter, from none other than Nats closer Drew Storen:

So there you go, Loyal Shark Fans. Some great options for supporting the Shark at Nats Park for the rest of the season. Hopefully it is just a matter of time before the Washington Nationals start producing Shark apparel...

Let us know what you think of the different shirts in the comments below!